In Ecocide: Kill the Corporation Before it Kills Us, David Whyte argues that corporations are a critical yet neglected cause of our global environmental crisis. Accessibly written with excellent examples and case studies of modern business conduct, this bold book will be a valuable addition to reading lists, particularly for those studying political economy and business, recommends Atul K. Shah

Shah, Atul K.

English

LSE Research Online

Book	Review:	Ecocide:	Kill	the	Corporation	Before	itKills	Us	by	David	WhyteIn	Ecocide:	Kill	the	Corporation	Before	it	Kills	Us,	David	Whyte	argues	that	corporations	are	a	critical	yetneglected	cause	of	our	global	environmental	crisis.	Accessibly	written	with	excellent	examples	and	case	studies	ofmodern	business	conduct,	this	bold	book	will	be	a	valuable	addition	to	reading	lists,	particularly	for	those	studyingpolitical	economy	and	business,	recommends	Atul	K.	Shah.	Ecocide:	Kill	the	Corporation	Before	it	Kills	Us.	David	Whyte.	Manchester	University	Press.	2020.To	save	nature,	we	need	to	reform	the	corporationMultinational	corporations	are	newly	created	‘countries’	of	the	world,	with	turnoverhigher	than	the	Gross	National	Product	(GNP)	of	many	countries	put	together	–examples	being	Google,	Facebook,	Shell	or	Monsanto.	Unlike	countries,	however,their	responsibility	and	accountability	to	society	are	weak	at	best,	and	virtually	non-existent	when	it	comes	to	nature	–	our	Planet	Earth.	Ecocide,	a	new	book	by	DavidWhyte,	Professor	of	Socio-Legal	Studies	at	the	University	of	Liverpool,	argues	thatcorporations	are	a	critical	yet	neglected	cause	of	our	global	environmental	crisis.	Theproblems	they	create	are	wired	into	their	DNA	of	shareholder	primacy	and	profit	orwealth	maximisation	–	a	phenomenon	now	acknowledged	widely	as	financialisation.Furthermore,	the	corporate	veil	of	limited	liability	and	responsibility,	and	theirconcentration	of	political	and	structural	power,	enables	corporations	to	shop	betweenjurisdictions,	playing	a	game	of	tax,	offshore	secrecy	and	regulatory	arbitrage	to	evadeenvironmental	responsibility.Ecocide	has	four	chapters	and	is	200	pages	long,	including	notes	and	references.	Thefirst	chapter	explains	the	nature	and	history	of	the	corporation,	going	into	the	detail	of	its	legal	construction	as	a‘fictional’	person,	with	rights	to	acquire	assets	and	resources	like	employees	or	land	and	to	borrow	money	in	capitaland	debt	markets.	Business	education	all	over	the	world	focuses	primarily	on	the	science	of	these	giantcorporations,	but	often	fails	to	unlock	this	legal	DNA,	which	makes	corporations’	undemocratic	license	to	exploit	andexpropriate	hugely	problematic.	The	first	ever	corporation	in	the	world	was	born	in	Sweden	in	1288	and	was	calledStora	Kopparberg.	It	was	established	by	German	merchants	to	collectively	invest	in	a	copper	mine	in	the	town	ofFalun.	It	still	exists	today	as	Stora	Enso	–	from	mining,	it	has	morphed	into	the	second	largest	paper	producer	in	theworld.	You	can	imagine	the	environmental	footprint	of	this	historic	heritage	corporation.Chapters	Two	and	Three	explore	the	twin	dilemmas	of	capitalism	and	regulation	–	whilst	capital	has	a	desire	tokeep	on	growing	exponentially,	regulation	designed	to	curb	its	excesses	keeps	on	failing.	For	Whyte,	thecorporation	has	become	a	key	front	for	neo-colonialism	and	has	replaced	forced	conquest	with	a	more	subtle	formof	exploitation	disguised	under	the	rhetoric	of	free	markets,	economies	of	scale	and	efficiency.	Bribery	andcorruption	are	endemic	to	corporate	operations	not	just	in	the	so-called	resource-rich	Global	South,	but	also	in	theGlobal	North	where	political	influence	and	capture	are	seen	as	key	methods	of	business	operations.	Regulationdesigned	to	make	corporations	more	responsible	and	accountable	consistently	fails	due	to	its	poor	construction,	itsenabling	role	in	encouraging	environmental	exploitation	and	its	weak	enforcement	and	policing.	Shopping	for	thelowest-cost	regulation	in	a	world	where	countries	are	often	desperate	to	attract	the	investment	of	multinationals	iseasy,	and	our	one	and	only	planet	suffers	from	this	abuse	as	its	environment	respects	no	borders.LSE Review of Books: Book Review: Ecocide: Kill the Corporation Before it Kills Us by David Whyte Page 1 of 3		Date originally posted: 2020-10-26Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2020/10/26/book-review-ecocide-kill-the-corporation-before-it-kills-us-by-david-whyte/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/The	final	chapter	is	entitled	‘Kill	the	Corporation	Before	it	Kills	Us’,	mirroring	the	subtitle	of	the	book.	Whyte	makes	abold	attempt	here	to	propose	different	ways	of	controlling	the	corporation	to	limit	its	environmental	impacts.	Earlierin	the	book,	he	notes	how	the	major	United	Nations	environmental	treaties	make	little	reference	to	controlling	andregulating	the	corporation,	even	though	it	is	one	of	the	major	culprits	of	environmental	harm.	Reform	suggestionsinclude	an	International	Criminal	Court	for	corporate	executives	who	commit	‘ecocide’	and	an	ending	of	the	impunityfrom	prosecution	for	shareholders	and	investors.	The	corporate	veil	should	be	allowed	to	be	opened	and	limitedliability	withdrawn	from	corporations	that	consistently	break	environmental	rules	and	principles.I	would	place	this	book	in	the	field	of	study	known	as	Corporate	Governance,	which	is	primarily	studied	in	businessschools	and	largely	avoided	by	politics	and	economics	departments	even	though	it	is	central	to	their	educationcurricula.	It	is	an	interdisciplinary	field,	and	Whyte	collates	history,	politics,	law,	economics,	sociology	and	biology	inhis	analysis.	One	of	the	earliest	pioneering	books	in	this	vein	was	The	Corporation	–	The	Pathological	Pursuit	ofProfits	and	Power	by	Joel	Bakan	(2002),	who	also	produced	an	award-winning	documentary	of	the	same	name,which	I	still	use	to	teach	my	students.In	a	world	of	specialisation	and	pressure	to	publish	in	top	highly	ranked	journals,	I	salute	academics	who	take	therisk	of	writing	a	book	and	reaching	a	much	wider	audience	than	the	few	who	can	understand	academic	jargonwithin	a	narrow	domain.	This	book	will	have	a	good	audience	among	the	Extinction	Rebellion	movement,	who	maynot	understand	the	DNA	of	business	but	still	feel	the	effects	of	its	monopoly	and	expropriation	of	nature.	It	can	helpguide	their	protests	and	reform	policies,	as	it	is	clear	that	corporations	are	at	the	centre	of	the	ecological	plunder	wesee	today	in	the	world.	Ecocide	is	also	written	in	an	accessible	way	for	both	undergraduates	and	postgraduateswho	study	political	economy	and	business	–	it	has	excellent	examples	and	case	studies	of	modern	businessconduct.	It	is	short,	concise	and	easy	to	understand	and	follow,	with	excellent	notes	and	references.	I	certainly	willbe	putting	it	on	my	reading	list.LSE Review of Books: Book Review: Ecocide: Kill the Corporation Before it Kills Us by David Whyte Page 2 of 3		Date originally posted: 2020-10-26Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2020/10/26/book-review-ecocide-kill-the-corporation-before-it-kills-us-by-david-whyte/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/And	now	for	the	critique.	The	book	points	to	a	significant	ontological	crack	in	our	social	sciences,	where	nature	hasbeen	‘othered’	and	treated	as	an	unlimited	resource	to	be	used	and	dumped	upon;	only	now	do	we	learn	about	itslimitations	and	experience	its	revenge.	Like	the	fiction	we	call	money,	the	social	construction	of	the	corporation	andits	subsequent	devastation	of	society	and	nature	also	point	to	a	deep	cultural	flaw	in	modernity	–	the	focus	onmaterialism,	individualism	and	endless	pursuit	of	sensual	desires	and	personal	‘happiness’.	This	culture	is	not	theonly	mindset	in	the	world	–	many	timeless	communities	have	lived	along	different	values	and	beliefs,	including	theDharmic	traditions	of	India,	whose	very	basis	was	respect	for	nature	and	all	living	beings.	For	these	cultures,interdependence	was	a	law	of	nature	which	was	translated	into	their	myths	and	behaviours.	Humans,	animals	andplants	are	beings	endowed	with	consciousness	which	need	to	be	respected	and	nurtured	and	not	destroyed	orcannibalised.	My	own	research	on	the	Jains	shows	that	these	cultures	and	communities	are	still	alive	and	vibrant	allover	the	world,	and	continue	to	live	with	a	low	environmental	footprint,	including	in	the	practice	of	business,	wherethey	have	a	long	record	of	sustained	success.	Alongside	the	regulatory	reform	of	the	corporation,	we	should	not	shyaway	from	confronting	our	cultural	flaws.	We	should	see	the	mind,	body	and	spirit	as	one	whole,	and	respect	theethereal	essence,	consciousness	and	inter-generational	responsibility	of	sustainable	living.Note:	This	review	gives	the	views	of	the	author,	and	not	the	position	of	the	LSE	Review	of	Books	blog,	or	of	theLondon	School	of	Economics.	Banner	Image	Credit:	Photo	by	Mike	Marrah	on	Unsplash.In-text	Image	Credit:global	climate	strike	on	the	European	elections,	Germany,	2019.	Photo	by	MarkusSpiske	on	Unsplash	LSE Review of Books: Book Review: Ecocide: Kill the Corporation Before it Kills Us by David Whyte Page 3 of 3		Date originally posted: 2020-10-26Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2020/10/26/book-review-ecocide-kill-the-corporation-before-it-kills-us-by-david-whyte/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/

Book review: Ecocide: kill the corporation before it kills us by David Whyte

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Book review: Ecocide: kill the corporation before it kills us by David Whyte

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